GNP Tests Its Presidential Hopefuls

The opposition Grand National Party (GNP) decided to hold hearings to test the morality of candidates for its presidential nomination.

This is the first time that a political party has held an event to check the qualifications of a party’s candidates.

Senior members of the GNP, including Chairman Kang Jae-sup, had a meeting with GNP presidential hopefuls such as former Seoul Mayor Lee Myung-bak, former GNP chairwoman Park Geun-hye, former Gyeonggi province governor Sohn Hak-kye, Won Hee-ryong, lawmaker of the GNP, and Go Jin-hwa, another lawmaker of the GNP at a hotel located in Yeoi-do, Seoul, yesterday and agreed to hold the hearing, said GNP spokeswoman Na Kyoung-won.

According to the spokeswoman, GNP chairman Kang Jae-sup said after the meeting that, “We are considering the establishment of a monitoring agency comprised of the party’s senior members, religious people, and journalists in order to resolve suspicion surrounding the qualification of candidates through the hearings.

Maeng Hyung-kyu, vice chairman of “Committee for Victory of 2007 Presidential Election (CVPE),” an agency managing the preparation of the party’s selection of its presidential candidate, said that, “We will finish an inspection until March 10, but the final results will be released through the hearings.”

GNP spokeswoman Na also said, “All candidates agreed to hold the hearing.”

The candidates also expressed sympathy on the necessity of agreements on six agendas: setting the timing and method of the party’s selection of presidential candidates by March 10 (through CVPE); candidates’ acceptance of defeat; the importance of testing candidates’ morality and monitoring their policy direction; holding policy debates among candidates; the neutrality of the party’s senior members and CVPE; and timely conferences between candidates and the party on pending issues.

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